BALDWIN PARK – While local commuters will be saddled with construction along the 10 Freeway for some time to come, they will get slight relief when the Baldwin Park Boulevard bridge reopens later this month.

The bridge, which is being rebuilt to accommodate new carpool lanes on the freeway, is scheduled to be reopened in a ceremony at 10 a.m. June 27.

Traffic is currently limited to one lane in each direction over the bridge. Upon completion, the bridge will have two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes.

Baldwin Park Councilman Ricardo Pacheco, who is expected to attend the reopening ceremony, said he’s glad to see construction progressing on a section of freeway that had seen few updates since it was built in the 1960s.

“We’re excited about that fact that (the California Department of Transportation) finally paid attention to that area,” he said. “We’re glad to see they’re making changes.”

He also said residents should be pleased the new bridge will have wider and safer sidewalks than the old bridge.

The California Department of Transportation has been building carpool lanes along the 10 Freeway from the 605 Freeway to Puente Avenue since October 2009. Kelly Markham, a Caltrans spokeswoman, said the Baldwin Park portion of the multi-phase project is scheduled to be completed by late 2012.

“It’s actually a three-part program that will go all the way to the San Bernardino county line,” she said.

Markham said construction crews are also adding sound walls and rebuilding retaining walls along the same section of freeway.

Due to that construction, the Francisquito Avenue on- and off-ramps will remain closed through early August, she said.

The Athol Street Bridge is expected to be closed for construction from June 29 through the end of the year.

Markham said the pedestrian bridge at Bess Avenue will be closed later this year for construction. A timeline for that project was not available.